Calkins: Bad game, perfect night

Rockies at Padres- 4 generations of the Moeller family at the game: LtoR: Terry Moeller, 5 year old Mason Moeller, 5, 96 year old Bob Moeller, and Chris Moeller. Terry is Bob's son, Mason's grandfather and Chris's Father.

Charlie Neuman

Rockies at Padres- 4 generations of the Moeller family at the game: LtoR: Terry Moeller, 5 year old Mason Moeller, 5, 96 year old Bob Moeller, and Chris Moeller. Terry is Bob's son, Mason's grandfather and Chris's Father.

Rockies at Padres- 4 generations of the Moeller family at the game: LtoR: Terry Moeller, 5 year old Mason Moeller, 5, 96 year old Bob Moeller, and Chris Moeller. Terry is Bob's son, Mason's grandfather and Chris's Father. (Charlie Neuman)

Bob Moeller doesn’t get out to too many Padres games anymore. Navigating through a ballpark can be difficult when you’re a 96-year-old with knees as frail as twigs.

But Moeller trudged his way to his field-level seat at Petco Park Saturday, and when he got there, he watched his team get flattened like pizza dough.

He couldn’t have been happier.

Moeller, you see, was in the company of his son Terry. And Terry was in the company of his son Chris. And Chris was in the company of his son Mason – meaning four generations of Moellers were in the Petco Park stands.

Not only was this the first time the four of them took in a game together, it was the first time since 1981 that the elder three did. That happened during the Dodgers-Yankees World Series at Chavez Ravine, where Terry bought tickets from a scalper and ended up sitting next to Tommy Lasorda’s wife. This time he sat next to Bob, which was a much bigger thrill.

“This is incredible,” said the 66-year-old Terry, who lives in Arcadia.

A couple of months ago, Chris, 38, decided that the four of them should try and take in a game together. Mason is old enough that he can appreciate the atmosphere, and Bob is old enough that, well – there might not be too many of these opportunities left.

But regardless of how many new baseball memories Bob makes, he’s already got enough to last 10 lifetimes.

Growing up in Minneapolis, Bob could typically be found glued to the radio listening to games. Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx – all had at-bats described to him over the airwaves.

But it was upon moving to San Diego in December of 1940 that Bob formed his bond with the Padres, and 73 years later, that bond hasn’t weakened a bit.

Lane Field, Westgate Park, Qualcomm, Petco Park – Bob has followed the team throughout. He worked security at the 1984 World Series and attended Tony Gwynn’s Hall of Fame induction.

Don’t think that his love affair isn’t without some tough love, though. When Padres third baseman Jesus Guzman committed his second error of the game Saturday, Bob was quick to yell “get him out of there!”

But Bob typically reserves his yelling for professional ball players. Terry, a retired golf-club pro, said he was nothing but supportive of him during his high school playing days -- and Bob kept up that enthusiasm for Chris, who played baseball through junior college and is now the Dean of Students at La Jolla Country Day High.

“He is a great man,” Chris said. “I have been blessed to have him in my life.”

Bob is pretty blessed, too.

He didn’t get a chance to go to big-league games as a kid. In fact, the first one he ever attended was between the Giants and the Cardinals, in which Stan Musial played first base. But he made sure to take Terry to as many as he could, and that tradition has trickled down from one generation to the next.

Who knows how many more Padres games Bob will end up going to. He’s already said that he doubts he’ll make it out to another one this season.

But if Saturday was his last, it may have been his favorite, too.

“This is very meaningful. I don’t get that many opportunities to spend with my son and my grandson, and my great grandson,” Bob said. “This might not ever occur again. I’m no youngster. But I’m fortunate to be able to do this. This is the highlight of my life.”